Chapter nine! I don't own Shugo Chara!
The busy day was finally over, and Rima was sound asleep on her bed. I was standing next to her, reading her a story she liked. I closed the book, and sighed. Rima had kept me busy for the whole day, and I hadn't gotten a chance to meet Ikuto. I couldn't let Rima know about Ikuto, so I had to lock the door for the whole day, hoping nobody would question me.
I put the book down on Rima's desk, slowly walked over to my bed, and collapsed into it. It was fluffy, and soft. It wasn't as good as my previous bed, but it was better than nothing. I couldn't fall asleep right away, because of what had happened last Sunday with Ikuto. I wanted to talk to him now. I had an uncomfortable feeling inside me, like something wasn't right. When would I be able to meet him again?
I eventually fell asleep, and tried to forget about Ikuto, and all of my troubles. The quiet night was like a lullaby, a song my mother used to sing to me when I was still a little baby...
It was about 3:00 A.M, when I heard a loud crashing sound next to me. I immediately opened my eyes, because of the noise. I slowly climbed down my bed, and rubbed my eyes sleepily. Rima was on the floor, her face pale, gasping for air, writhing as if someone had caught her. I immediately opened my eyes, and ran over to Rima.
"Rima, are you okay?" I asked, worried.
"Do you think I look okay?" Rima managed, as she struggled on the ground.
"No. I'll go get help" I said, running to the door. I was just about to turn the doorknob when Rima stopped me.
"Don't. I'll be okay in a few minutes. This happens almost every night" said Rima, her breath slowly coming back to normal.
"But-" I said, before Rima stopped me.
"I don't want anybody to know. My mother and father, they might-I don't want" Rima said, as she started to struggle with herself on the floor again.
"Rima..." I said, not knowing what to say. Rima had lung cancer. Just like me. I sometimes struggled to breathe at night, but I always put some painkillers beside my desk before I slept.
"If my mother and father figures out that I'm not getting any better, then they might-" said Rima, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Rima, I know. You don't need to explain. If I call the doctors, than they will inform your parents about your condition right? You don't want them to worry about you. Your just like me" I said, putting my hands on her shoulders.
Rima didn't reply. I quickly got up from my spot, and brought water and some painkillers to Rima.
"Here, try taking this. You should always keep some painkillers when you go to sleep. In the morning, you will feel better. You should always plan ahead you know" I said, giving her the medicine and the water.
Rima quickly gulped down the painkillers and the water, and after a few more minutes, she calmed down a little.
"I'm not just like you. I'm different" said Rima, her breath returning to normal.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"My mother and father both think that it was because of them that my condition was getting worse everyday. They fought over petty things, and talked about how each hospital they brought me to is useless. They divorced last week, and I was sent to this hospital yesterday. My parents...they both betrayed me. They deserted me. They left me in this hospital, and they will never visit... All of the doctors say my condition is hopeless...and-" cried Rima, before I cut her off.
"Rima, don't cry. Stay strong. I was once like you, and I felt lost. Unlike you, my family visited me everyday, but something was still missing. One day, all of those feelings were washed away...because of a certain someone. That person came here everyday, and played his violin for me. Music is amazing. Oh, am I getting off topic? The point is, don't lose hope! Don't forget to smile. That's what I learned from that person" I said, smiling at Rima.
"Do you like him?" asked Rima, her face returning to its normal color.
"What?" I asked, surprised at the sudden question.
"Do you like this person? I never saw you smile like that" said Rima, looking at me.
"No! I do not like this person!" I said, blushing. At the same time, I kind of doubted myself. Did I like him?
"You're blushing" said Rima, looking...evil...again.
"You know what. I don't think I should have worried about you in the first place. You look completely fine now! You even have that evil glint in your eyes again!" I shouted, glaring at Rima.
"You're back to yourself too. You're arguing with me again. You know I can call the nurse again" said Rima, looking at me with innocent eyes.
I sighed. Rima hadn't changed a bit in the past few minutes. It seemed like she hadn't even cried.
"Were you fake crying again?" I asked, a little suspicious.
"No. I wasn't" said Rima, looking a little too serious.
Rima's eyes told me the truth. She wasn't lying about her parents. I felt a tiny bit of guilt for questioning about her parents again.
"It wasn't bad though" said Rima, turning away from me.
"What wasn't bad?" I asked, curious.
"It wasn't bad crying in front of you like that. You weren't excellent at comforting me, but I guess I could give you three out of five points" said Rima, smiling a little bit.
"Isn't that kind of bad?" I asked.
"It's more than half. You should be thankful" said Rima, her eyes wandering around the room.
"Let's just sleep. It's tiring to talk to a person like you at 3:30 A.M. in the morning" I said.
I lifted her up before she could say anything, and put her down on her bed. I walked over to my bed, and lied down.
"Goodnight, Rima" I said, closing my eyes.
"I guess saying goodnight won't hurt" said Rima, turning around in her bed. Then, she said something I never thought she would.
"Goodnight, Amu" whispered Rima, her voice barely audible.
I learned something important that night. I had talent in making friends. Both Utau and Rima had opened their heart towards me. This was just the start. I was still miles away from the finish line.
Chapter nine finished! I'm glad I could update today. I almost couldn't. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review!